Inside: Yoshi Kosaka's Garage Company

The Garage Company in Venice, California, was started in 1987 by Yoshinobu "Yoshi" Kosaka after his wife Kyoko realized her husband’s bike collection was outgrowing the space on their property and in their home. I visited Garage Co. two years ago at its Washington Blvd. location, and was amazed at the depth and breadth of the bikes, parts and memorabilia jammed in every nook and cranny of the building. Surprisingly, most of Yoshi’s treasures were not for sale at that time. In 2010, Yoshi and his crew moved into a much larger 18,000 square foot building in Inglewood, and like the proverbial gold fish who grows into his next bowl, they've filled this new space with even more interesting bikes and artifacts. This time, most of the bikes and merchandise at Garage Company is for sale. Bring your credit card, because Yoshi’s stash will blow your mind.

The most striking thing about Garage Company is the diversity of the machines inside. Yoshi's love for racing is evident, with vintage road, motocross and flat track racers parked everywhere. Garage Company’s healthy appreciation for early American and British iron is impossible to overlook. I asked Yoshi’s head mechanic and bike builder Kiyo if there was anything he wouldn't work on and he stoically replied "No.” When I asked, "What if I brought you some shitty Chinese scooter?" he answered, "I've done it. I didn't like it, but I worked on it."

The Garage Company of Venice, California, was started in 1987 by Yoshinobu "Yoshi" Kosaka after his wife Kyoko realized her husband’s bike collection was outgrowing the space on their property and in their home. I visited Garage Co. two years ago at its Washington Blvd. location, and was amazed at the depth and breadth of the bikes, parts and memorabilia jammed in every nook and cranny of the building. Surprisingly, most of Yoshi’s treasures were not for sale at that time. In 2010, Yoshi and his crew moved into a much larger 18,000 square foot building near LAX, and like the proverbial gold fish who grows into his next bowl, they've filled this new space with even more interesting bikes and artifacts. This time, most of the inventory at Garage Company is for sale. Bring your bankroll, because Yoshi’s stash will blow your mind.

The most striking thing about Garage Company is the diversity of the machines inside. Yoshi's love for racing is evident, with vintage road, motocross and flat track racers parked everywhere. Garage Company’s healthy appreciation for early American and British iron is impossible to overlook. I asked Yoshi’s head mechanic and bike builder Kiyo if there was anything he wouldn't work on and he stoically replied "No.” When I asked, "What if I brought you some shitty Chinese scooter?" he answered, "I've done it. I didn't like it, but I worked on it."

Therein lies the secret of Garage Company: these dudes love motorcycles, and will eagerly work on virtually everything. That is distinctly original and unprecedented on this scale. This passion becomes even more evident after a stroll through the maintenance area. Everything from an unloved dirt bike to a semi-famous Hollywood panhead waits for its turn at one of the mechanic’s lifts. Perhaps for an engine rebuild, maybe a fab mod or tune-and-service; the list of work is as random as the bikes themselves. When pressed about it, Kiyo admits that the Harley-Davidson knucklehead engine is his favorite, but he and Garage Co. are completely nondenominational and don't discriminate—they can find beauty in just about any machine.

The frustration I felt when virtually nothing seemed to be for sale is now replaced by regret from knowing I didn't bring enough money. Fortunately, there’s a hidden room in back for guys just like you and me. Piled high in this dimly lit back room you’ll find everything from oil tanks to hubs, front ends, carbs, lights and sissy bars. If it isn't on a shelf, it’s hanging in the rafters. Yoshi and Kiyo are regulars at swap meets, and that’s where much of this stuff originates. Of course, a lot of these rusty gems are take-offs from customer builds, and this stash supplies the eager and creative in-house builders with a deep reserve of raw material to create the next machine.

On the checkered floor in the main showroom there is a fine collection of clothing, memorabilia, new parts and moto-related literature, all of it surrounded by dozens of motorcycles stacked bar to bar. Many of the bikes on this floor are for sale. Others belong to Yoshi’s customers, and all are worth a look. Everything from a circa-‘20s JD racer to F1 champ Michael Schumacher’s Garage Co.-built cone shovel is parked in the crowded but organized showroom, each one begging for closer inspection.

People can and do spend hours scouring the massive retail space at Garage Company. Should the novelty of that adventure wear thin, buyers and browsers are allowed to mingle among customer bikes in the shop’s staging area. Yoshi treats his customers and guests with the same dignity he lavishes upon his two-wheeled treasures. Yoshi-san may call his shop a Garage, but for anyone who loves motorcycles it feels like a home.

All the well-known Japanese builders on the American motorcycle scene are totally cool. Humble, low-key. Focused on the craft and the bikes. So many Americans on the scene are more concerned with having the most underground label on their t-shirt, the toughest looking facial hair, and the most self-aggrandizing stories. ("I rode my hand-made 1846 wooden frame board track racer to Ensenada, you're a pussy")

sorry guys, but I'm not a big fan of the Garage company and crew. If Yoshi and company go to a swap meet he sends his crew if out in every direction with an unlimited supply of money and they buy every desirable part there. if there is something you need you will need to buy if from the Garage company.
He sells all the rare parts and bikes to his contacts in Japan and makes a ton of money doing so.
You can't fault a guy for making a buck, but it appears his real passion is money not motorcycles.